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NATION
THE ITEM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2013
U.S. issues global travel alert, citing al-Qaida threat WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States issued a global travel alert Friday, citing an al-Qaida threat that also caused the State Department to close 21 embassies and consulates this weekend in the Muslim world. The State Department warned American citizens of the potential for terrorism particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, with a possible attack occurring or coming from the Arabian Peninsula. “Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August,” the statement said. It urged American travelers to take extra precautions when traveling overseas and suggested they sign up for State Department alerts and
‘U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.’ U.S. State Department register with U.S. consulates in the countries they are visiting. The alert was posted a day after the U.S. announced it would close diplomatic facilities on Sunday because of an unspecified threat. Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the department acted out of an “abundance of caution” and that some missions may stay closed for longer than a day. Sunday is a business day in Muslim countries. The diplomatic offices affected stretch from Mauri-
tania in northwest Africa to Afghanistan. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Friday the embassy threat was linked to al-Qaida and focused on the Middle East and Central Asia. “We’ve had a series of threats,” Royce told reporters. “In this instance, we can take a step to better protect our personnel and, out of an abundance of caution, we should.” He declined to say if the National Security Agen-
cy’s much-debated surveillance program helped reveal the threat. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence panel, also supported the department’s decision to go public with its concerns. “The most important thing we have to do is protect American lives,” he said, describing the threat as “not the regular chit chat” picked up from would-be militants on the Internet or elsewhere. The State Department issued a major warning last year informing American diplomatic facilities across the Muslim world about potential violence connected to the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Dozens of American installations were besieged by protests over an anti-Islam video made by an American resident. In Benghazi, Libya, the
U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed when militants assaulted a diplomatic post, but the administration no longer says that attack was related to the demonstrations. Friday’s alert warned that al-Qaida or its allies may target U.S. government or private American interests. It cited dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists, noting that previous terrorist attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats. “U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling,” the department said. It recommended Americans traveling overseas register with consular authorities on a travel registration website. The alert expires on Aug. 31.
GOP in key states tries to slow anti-abortion push BY THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press Writer MILWAUKEE — Abortion is still legal, but getting one in many states will be difficult if laws passed this year are upheld by the courts. In a march through conservative legislatures, anti-abortion Republicans passed a wave of new restrictions that would sharply limit when a woman could terminate a pregnancy and where she could go to do so. The push brought the antiabortion movement closer to a key milestone, in which the procedure would become largely inaccessible in the three-fifths of the country controlled by Republicans even if still technically legal under Roe vs. Wade. But rather than continuing to roll across the GOP heartland in synch with the pro-life movement’s plan, the effort may now be hitting a wall. The obstacle comes not from opposing Democrats but from GOP leaders who believe pressing further is a mistake for a party trying to soften its harder edges after election losses last year. The resisting Republicans include governors and top legislators in more than a half-dozen states, including some of the largest and most politically competitive in the party’s 30-state coalition. They are digging in to stop the barrage of abortion proposals, hoping to better cultivate voters not enamored with the GOP’s social agenda. “It’s a huge mistake if your ear is not in tune where people are,” said Republican state Sen. Dale Schultz in Wisconsin, who is trying to fend off more abortion legislation in the state’s GOP-controlled legislature, even though he says he personally
supports it. “And we were pushing people too fast. All we’re going to do is panic people, and this is going to blow up if we don’t begin to moderate on some of this stuff.” The Ohio Senate president, Republican Tom Neihaus, blocked a bill in November that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. “I just didn’t think it was appropriate,” said Niehaus, a supporter of earlier antiabortion measures. “It’s a distraction from our primary focus of getting the economy back on track.” But anti-abortion leaders say they are determined to push on into more Republican strongholds, taking advantage of the party’s majority status. “It is definitely the case that the future for us lies beyond what is considered your traditional pro-life states,” said Dan McConchie, vice president of Americans United for Life, which circulates model legislation to state lawmakers. The dissension, strongest in the Midwest and southern border states, is flaring as the GOP prepares for competitive races in the contested regions next year. The antiabortion movement is poised to press for constitutional amendments giving legal rights to fetuses, bans on abortions based on gender and an end to abortion exceptions for victims of rape and incest. Anti-abortion Republicans have gotten more than 170 new abortion laws passed in 30 states since the party won control of a majority of statehouses in 2010. This year’s push was highlighted by some of the strongest restrictions yet passed in North Dakota, Arkansas and Texas.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A woman waits to talk with employers at a job fair for laid-off IBM workers in South Burlington, Vt., on July 15.
Employers add 162K jobs; rate falls to 7.4 percent WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in July, a modest increase and the fewest since March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a 4½-year low of 7.4 percent, a hopeful sign. Unemployment declined from 7.6 percent in June because more Americans found jobs, and others stopped looking and were no longer counted as unemployed. Still, Friday’s report from the Labor Department pointed to a less-than-robust job market. It suggested that the economy’s subpar growth and modest consumer spending are making many businesses cautious about hiring. The government said employers added a combined 26,000 fewer jobs in May and June than it previously estimated. Americans
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worked fewer hours in July, and their average pay dipped. And many of the jobs employers added last month were for lower-paying work at stores, bars and restaurants. For the year, job growth has remained steady. The economy has added an average 200,000 jobs a month since January, though the pace has slowed in the past three months to 175,000. Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight, called the employment report “slightly negative,” in part because job growth for May and June was revised down. Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West, said it showed “a mixed labor market picture of continued improvement but at a still frustratingly slow pace.” The reaction from inves-
tors was muted. The Dow Jones industrial average fell about 9 points in midafternoon trading. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.62 percent from 2.71 percent. The Federal Reserve will review the July employment data in deciding whether to slow its $85 billion a month in bond purchases in September, as many economists have predicted it will do. Weaker hiring could make the Fed hold off on any pullback in its bond buying, which has helped keep longterm borrowing costs down. Beth Ann Bovino, senior economist at Standard & Poor’s, said she thinks Friday’s report will make the Fed delay a slowdown in bond buying. “September seems very unlikely now,” she says. “I’m wondering if December is still in the cards.”